He also served on the Curtis Alumni Council, and on the boards of the Houston Professional Musicians Association and the Houston Youth Symphony. He currently performs with ROCO (the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra), the ROCO Brass Quintet, Opera in the Heights, Jazz Forever, and appears frequently with the Boomtown Brass Band. He can be heard nationally on ROCO’s performances broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today. George serves on the ROCO Board, teaches trumpet at the University of St. Thomas, and lives in the historic Woodland Heights with his wife (an author and piano teacher), daughter and two incorrigible but sweet dogs.
Jason Adams, trumpet and flugelhorn
Jason Adams has been teaching and playing the trumpet for over 30 years. He was born in
Worcester, Massachusetts and studied trumpet with Roger Murtha and Chris Gekker at the Hartt
School and the Manhattan School of Music. He has played, recorded, and appeared as soloist all
over the United States and internationally with numerous groups. Jason appears regularly with the Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral Brass, the River Oaks Chamber
Orchestra Brass Quintet, and stays busy with his studio of private students of all ages.
James Lee, tenor trombone
Trombonist James Lee is a proud native Houstonian and works as a freelance musician in a wide
array of settings. James studied with John Kitzman at Southern Methodist University, Michael
Warny at the University of Houston, Bradley White of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and
Lucio Alvarez. He has performed with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the River Oaks Chamber
Orchestra, the Opera in the Heights, Mid-Texas Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Brazos
Valley Symphony, and has been a participant in the Lake George Music Festival in upstate New
York. James has been an active chamber musician having collaborated in a variety of projects and
has been a founding member of various brass ensembles performing all kinds of music from standard
brass literature to pop cover tunes! In other realms of music he has enjoyed being active as
a pit musician in Houston’s vast musical theater culture and playing with different bands in various
venues and clubs. James has also had the privilege of being an active participant in the deep
Latin music scene having had opportunities to play with groups such as La Orquesta Salmerum,
Tumbaka Orquesta, Groupo Kache, Guarare Orquesta and has shared the stage with renown
artists such as Eddie Santiago, Ray Sepulveda, Maelo Ruiz, Los Adolescentes Orquesta, Yan Collazo,
Menique, and Pin Jose Zapata.
Jill Smith Rodriguez, horn
Jill Smith Rodriguez currently holds the position of Third/Assistant Principal Horn with the
Austin Opera and also performs regularly with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Other performing
credits include the Breckenridge Music Festival and the Dallas Opera Orchestra. She has
been on the music faculty of Texas Lutheran University since 1997 where she teaches general
music classes. Ms. Rodriguez earned a MM degree at the University of North Texas and a BME
from DePauw University. She resides in New Braunfels with her husband, Raul, and their two
teenagers, Benjamin and Marisa.
Raúl I. Rodríguez, tuba
Appointed in 1995, Raúl I. Rodríguez is Professor of Music at Texas State University teaching
applied tuba and euphonium and working with chamber music ensembles. Since 2001 he has performed
as principal tuba with the Breckenridge Music Festival Orchestra in Colorado and has
performed with the symphony orchestras of Austin, San Antonio, Santa Fe, Ft. Worth and the
Victoria Bach Festival, in addition to serving as principal tuba with the symphonies of Garland
and Las Colinas from 1992-95. Other performance credits are quite diverse having performed
with a variety of chamber ensembles, rodeo bands, polka bands and many brass quintets including
the SouthWest BrassWorks, Breckenridge Brass plus the tubajazz combo TubaTzars. His
book, Low Blows for Tuba, released in April 2015, is published by and available at Balquhidder
Music. He still continues his involvement in youth education by dedicating time to presenting
clinics and master classes in the public schools. In the summer of 2002, Mr. Rodríguez was
appointed principal tuba of the Texas Philharmonic to record the soundtrack for the musical score
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams.
Source: ROCO (The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra) Website